Lymphoma

[Gus's Folks]

Hi Everyone,

Tomorrow it will be one week since we got the diagnosis of stage two lymphoma for our beloved brindle Gus. He's 8.5 years old and still a three year old at heart; it seem so unfair. We have two three year old daughters who love him very much. He has been fantastic with them and handled their arrival and the abrupt diversion of our attention with grace. I've never known boxers to be frisbee dogs, but he is an amazing one. if you check our gallery, you'll see an amazing mid-air pic of him snagging his disk from the air. It's so hard to think about the end.

For a variety of reasons, both financial and quality of life related, we are probably going to go with prednisone treatment. Gus has had a very sensitive GI tract all his life and we're not confident he'd do well with chemo. Nevertheless, we're off to hear out the oncologist tomorrow.

Right now Gus sleeps a lot and has lost his appetite. I expect prednisone will help with the latter, but the vet started him on an appetite stimulant anyway. When he's up he's as bright eyed and wiggly tailed as ever, so that gives us some comfort. I just dread what might be happening inside.

My research and our vet say that two months is the usual time a dog will last with lymphoma if untreated. He says that with prednisone you might add another one to four months on top of that. Chemo could get you 9 - 12 months. Is this what others of you have heard or experienced? I'd be grateful for your thoughts on how we can make the quality of his life as great as possible over the time he has left.

 

[mancin]

I'm so sorry that you've received this diagnosis. Big hugs your way! I just lost my Abby to lymphoma about 3 weeks ago. We also went the prednisone route (she was nearly 13 years old). I don't know what stage she was, but it was already in multiple lymph nodes. She lasted about a month. :(

She too began losing her appetite (and weight along with it), and I do say the pred really helped with that. Once we started the pred she was eating normally within a day, which helped her regain some of her strength.

The times you were quoted are median times. Some dogs go sooner, and some last longer. Abby may have lasted a bit longer, but I didn't want her to suffer more than she had to so we helped her to the bridge at I believe just the right time.

Do all the things he loves to do the next few weeks. Once the steroids stop working, it's very abrupt and things go downhill very quickly. Cancer is also a very caloric disease. Towards the end I was feeding Abby 4 times per day. It was the normal amount she'd eat in a day, but spread out over 4 meals so she always had some fuel in her tank so to speak.

 

[joeys mom]

:(

We are here in the same situation you are in. i don't have children who adore Joey but I adore him with all of my heart. I think of him as my fur baby. Chemo is not an option so prednisone is what we are doing and so far so good. We haven't seen loss of appetite yet but we are still actively taking prednisone so that I am sure is helping. We are going on a diagnosis 1 month ago but know this was the problem 2 months ago when we went to vet for some X-rays. This is his second round of pred so after this we just don't know how we'll it will work, from what I have read it usually doesn't do as we'll after the second round. Don't want to be a downer but want to share what I have read. I will be keeping up with you guys and hoping and praying for you all.

 

[Gus's Folks]

Thanks to both of you for your kind words and helpful advice. Gus's situation turned around immediately after starting the prednisone. It was amazing. I gave the first dose (40mg) in the evening and the next morning the lump in his throat disappeared for all practical purposes. He's been on this dosage for two weeks now and I'm supposed to back him down to 20mg. Doing so with some trepidation.

His appetite has gone through the roof. His regular weight was around 69lbs, but when we took him to the vet to check the lump in his throat he was already down to 63lbs. By the time we got him to the oncologist two weeks later he was down to 58lbs! It was like dropping off a cliff; he had so much extra skin hanging off his throat and chest! I'll admit that I'm feeding him as if that's going to cure him. He's eaten nothing but dry dog food his entire life because of a sensitive stomach (Purina EN - prescription and very expensive), but he's now getting dry EN, wet EN, and chicken and rice all mixed together! (It's rather redundant since all EN is is chicken and rice, but we don't care). He probably thinks he's already died and gone to heaven! I'm going to take him to the vet today and see how much of his weight he's managed to get back.

His energy level is really good, so I'm making sure he gets regular frisbee time in the field by our house. Regular walks twice a day. It's been nice to do this and be far more conscious of the moment.

He has had three nights of panting, although he eventually is able to get to sleep. Excessive panting is awful because it seems so uncomfortable. We've cooled the house down to try to make it a bit easier for him. Only one accident so far, so we can't complain.

So, it's been 'so far so good' so we've been trying to just live in the now. I hope Joey is doing well. Do keep us posted. My condolences on the loss of Abby. May your heart heal quickly and be sustained by all the good memories and boxer kisses.

 

[joeys mom]

So so happy that Gus's has his appetite back and is doing good. Lol Joey has always had a good appetite and omg with the prednisone it is out of this world.... He seriously is hungry 24/7... We are guilty of letting him have all the snacks and treats that he wants right now along with some bites of our food. I know this isn't a good thing but I want him to be happy and enjoy anything and everything he can right now. Having said that so far we haven't seen a weight loss.

With Joey too it is amazing that after starting prednisone his lymph node in his neck went down with in 24 hours.

Joey hasn't been panting but his breathing is definitely heavier than normal. This I have read is from the cancer. I do think he is sleeping a little more than usual but he still is pretty spunky when he is up and about and is still playing pretty rough with is buddy Jake. He still does his usual dig through his toy bin to find his fav toy of the day.

I look forward to hearing how Gus is doing again soon.

Keeping you in my daily thoughts and prayers.

 

[joeys mom]

Info ...

After reading another post about prednisone I did further research and it seems that a side effect of prednisone is heavy breathing and/or panting.... Just thought I would let you know. Every little thing helps.

 

[Gus's Folks]

I just found this very good explanation of the pros and cons of prednisone-only therapy for lymphoma. What I found helpful was the description of how prednisone actually fights lymphoma, but also why it's effects can be so short-lived.

Use of Prednisone in Canine Lymphoma: Friend or Foe? :: Veterinary Cancer Specialists

Gus has been on his reduced dosage for two days now. He is not as ravenous but is still eating well. His lymph node in his throat seems to be growing again already. Gulp!

 

[Gus's Folks]

I'm posting this since it might help others, perhaps Joey's Mom whose boy is on Prednisone as well. Gus is on prednisone-only treatment for lymphoma. We don't know which type of lymphoma he has (B-cell or T-cell), but we suspect it is the less common T-cell because it's very aggressive and he was also diagnosed with hypercalcemia which is associated more with T-cell. Given that we chose prednisone therapy and the prognosis is only 30-60 days, we decided not to spent the $300 extra to determine B or T.

Gus (60lbs) was prescribed 40mg/day of prednisone for 14 days and then a lower dose of 20mg after that. We saw immediate positive impact after the first dose which continued for the 14 days. Last Thursday we lowered the dose as instructed and he immediately took a turn for the worse. By the next morning his lymph nodes were swollen again. By Sunday he was lethargic and losing his appetite. He would not eat Sunday night or either meal on Monday. He would not even eat chicken, which says something. We upped his dose back to 40mg on Sunday night and took him to the vet on Monday. He had lost four pounds between Friday and Monday. Our vet said there was no harm in sticking with the higher dose and he gave him a steroid injection as well, but said that this might be the end of the road.

When Gus got home he could not keep any water down. He was thirsty and drinking heavily but would immediately throw it up. When he had no water to throw up, he threw up froth and bile. Thankfully, my wife knew how to administer sub-cutaneous fluids to keep him hydrated which made him more comfortable. Nevertheless, he had no energy and would just lay there on his bed. We gave him his prednisone that night and began reconciling ourselves that the inevitable had probably arrived.

The next morning (Tuesday) he was much better. His energy had returned and the swelling in his lymph nodes had markedly diminished. He was back to eating meals again, although in more modest portions compared to the last two weeks. By Tuesday afternoon he was picking up a ball in the yard for me to toss to him. I was pretty shocked at the turnaround. So quick in either direction! We have no illusions about how long this might last. Maybe a couple days or a couple of weeks if we're lucky.

My point for sharing this is for others to be aware that lowering the dose could have the consequences it had for Gus. If we had stayed with the lower dose, he'd no longer be with us. I'm sure the lower dose was prescribed in order to reduce the harmful side effects of long term use of prednisone and perhaps to test whether remission had been achieved. Well, we knew pretty quickly that the answer was 'no' on the latter! We think since his prognosis is not very long anyway, there is less harm for now in staying with the higher dose. We'll continue to watch his quality of life and make our decisions accordingly. I hope this helps others who are wrestling with this awful disease as well.

 

[joeys mom]

How is Gus doing? how are you guys doing? I know how heartbreaking and emotional this is :(

 

[Gus's Folks]

He is doing well, thank you. It has been over a week since we returned his prednisone back up to 40mg/day and he is back to his 'normal' self. However, over the weekend he had a bout of diarrhea and a UTI so he was pretty uncomfortable. As you know, prednisone suppresses the immune system and makes them susceptible to infections. One night he needed to go out right steady so I slept on the downstairs couch and was up with him every two hours or so. Felt bad watching him run around the yard trying to squeeze out that last drop of pee that would never come. Made me squirm just watching him! Seeing all this I was able to imagine the cumulative impact of the prednisone (respiratory, bowel, urinary tract infections, etc.) taking its toll on his quality of life. Thankfully, the UTI seemed to get better on its own, but I put him on an antibiotic for good measure. The vet also gave me antibiotics for the diarrhea but I held off because it seemed to get better on its own as well. I don't want to overload his system with several different antibiotics if I can help it. I've started to give him some plain yogurt just to try to keep his good gut flora in some kind of balance.

So, he's holding strong for now and we're enjoying every day we have. Thanks again for asking. It's good to hear about Joey, too!